The requirements for an acceptable cannabis assay have changed dramatically over the years, and the reasons for this appear to be related to its unique status. The political and social climate has contributed to the changing requirements, and legality issues surrounding cannabis have made it difficult to obtain a full spectrum of reference standards and sample material for validation studies. The number of states considering legalization of cannabis, medical or otherwise, is growing rapidly and a number of entrepreneurs have opened facilities to keep up with demand for reliable testing and labeling, however the “grey-market” status of cannabis and rush to open these labs have resulted in a wide array of creative methodologies for analytical testing that have not been validated. While there may be a number of methods suitable for cannabis analysis, as more states are now considering medical cannabis it is even more crucial for labs to perform important assay validation. This systematic evaluation of the scope and limitations of an assay is critical to demonstrate the assay is fit for its intended purpose and is an absolute requirement for the confident use of any methodology.
The present invention addresses many of the shortcomings of the present methods for cannabis analysis, while providing robust and accurate analysis alternatives.